According to the inscription in the bottom right corner, Gauguin dedicated this work to painter Charles Laval, his like-minded friend during his journey to Martinique and his work in Pont-Aven. This still life should be considered as part of a “secret” dialogue between Gauguin and Laval. The explanation is hidden in the complicated relationship between Gauguin, Laval, and the sister of painter Émile Bernard, who visited her brother in Pont-Aven in the summer of 1888. Both men fell in love with Madeleine Bernard, who was 17 years old at the time. That is when Gauguin painted her portrait, where she had a slight slant to her eyes, “animal” ears, and a poignant “fox-like” gaze — just like the red-haired character in the upper left corner of “Fruits”. This is the face of a tempter, representing an instinctive, subconscious, and thereby destructive and uncontrollable lust. The creature longs for the fruits on the table. Why did Gauguin dedicate such a painting to Laval? While he was working on the still life in 1888, his friend and Madeleine Bernard got engaged. Gauguin sent her letters from Arles, foreseeing her approaching engagement. In a moralistic and dark mood, he warned Madeleine, explaining to her how destructive the loss of innocence would be. Thus, the painting “Fruits” is a gloomy and homiletic message to Laval, full of caution and sadness. In this case, Gauguin’s fears and worries were not far from reality. Laval died of tuberculosis two years after their marriage, and Madeleine succumbed to the same illness one year later. The composition and the color scheme of the painting are based on the decorative principles that the artist worked on during the Pont-Aven period.